APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND GUIDELINES
PURPOSE
The goal of the AACAP Leatherman-Drell-Ritvo (LDRF) Grant Program is to support AACAP Committees and AACAP members in strengthening psychodynamic understanding and psychodynamically-informed therapies in child and adolescent psychiatry. LDRF-funded projects can build upon and extend the reach of AACAP’s Psychodynamic Faculty Initiative (PsyFI) Mentorship Program and other such projects aimed at promoting or enhancing faculty training, curriculum development, or extending research on psychodynamic understanding and psychodynamically-informed therapies.
BACKGROUND
It is well established that a vast amount of unevenness exists across child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship programs as it relates to the depth of instruction and training for psychodynamic psychotherapy. Yet psychotherapy is a core competency of child and adolescent psychiatry training. With help from the PsyFI Mentorship Program, a growing number of faculty have become more knowledgeable around psychodynamic psychotherapy theory, practice and developmental knowledge. With the support from this grant program, a broader number of AACAP Committees and members with relatable interest can become further engaged in expanding efforts to promote and advance psychodynamic psychotherapy for child and adolescent psychiatrists.
GRANT PROPOSALS MAY INCLUDE:
Unique and creative approaches to the challenges of sustaining and advancing psychodynamic child and adolescent psychiatry will be accepted. Grant proposals can address issues of training and education, research, practice, or community building. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Education at the pre-graduate level (medical school, residency, or fellowship) or the post-graduate level (e.g. life-long learning)
- Curriculum Development
- Faculty Development
- Resources for training programs
- Supervisor training
- Collaborations with other child mental health professional organizations
- New clinical or educational research projects
OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES
AACAP's Psychotherapy Committee, in collaboration with the AACAP Training and Education Committee, or other AACAP committee if particularly relevant to a proposed project when indicated.
AVAILABLE AWARDS
Two (2) applicants/awards of $2,000 each.
AWARD ELIGIBILITY
- Applicants must either be AACAP members or have a membership application pending OR an AACAP Committee with a statement of confirmed capacity to take on the project.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
- · Applications must be submitted by April deadline.
· Recipients will be notified during the month of June.
PROPOSAL GUIDELINES:
- Cover Letter Indicating
- Proposed project goals
- Current position or training level
- Interest in faculty development, education/training, collaboration or research
- Ability to carry out the project
- Proposal
- Rationale
- Project Plan (including objectives, participants, and program activities)
- Timeline (12 months or less)
- Evaluation Plan (measuring project success)
- Detailed Budget
- Curriculum Vitae
- Letters of support (2) indicating interest in work and capacity to achieve program goals
- Proposals should not exceed more than 10 pages
- Email all application materials to cpawards@aacap.org by April 17, 2026.
AWARDEE REQUIREMENTS
- Completion of a progress report/presentation
- Completion of a final report/presentation to include a final budget report
- Article detailing program’s success; to be published in AACAP News
Email all application materials to cpawards@aacap.org
by April 17, 2026.